Earlier reports only credited Kunihiko Natsume as animation director.
Coming Full-Festival Circle! (Japanese:セミファイナル！決勝へ進むのは！？The Semi-Finals! Who is Heading to the Finals!?) is the 176th episode ofPokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, and the 642nd episode of thePokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on May 13, 2010 and in the United States on October 2, 2010.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Coming down to the wire at the Pokémon Contest Grand Festival, our four semifinalists are Nando, Zoey, Jessilina, and Dawn. First up is Zoey versus Nando, and both Coordinators and their Pokémon put on a spectacular performance. As Zoey begins to take control by using Nando's attacks against him, the five-minute time limit expires, leaving Zoey as the victor!
Next up, it's Dawn versus Jessilina. It becomes clear early on that Dawn has grown a lot as a Coordinator since her journey began. She is decisive, determined, and confident, and her crisp commands propel her Buneary and Cyndaquil to new heights! And when the time runs out, much to Jessilina's dismay, Dawn is declared the winner!
So it's Dawn and Zoey in the finals, just as they hoped... And next time, the girls will face off for the title of Top Coordinator!
Plot
TheSinnoh Grand Festival continues withJessilina's victory in the third round of the Battle Stage withMime Jr. andCarnivine. Because of a comment byFantina, Jessilina suggests that they should forget about the rest of theGrand Festival and crown her asTop Coordinator already, to which Fantina replies that Jessilina will just have to win the tournament herself. The match-ups for the semifinals are then revealed withDawn facing Jessilina andZoey versusNando.
That night, Dawn and herPiplup take a moment to clear their heads on the balcony. LuckilyAsh andBrock give her a confidence boost. The group then hears the music of a harp and goes downstairs to investigate, where they find Nando playing for dozens ofwild Pokémon in the forest. Noticing them, Nando pauses his rendition and reveals that he is feeling nervous having made it so far in the Grand Festival. Zoey soon joins them and promises Nando a good battle. Since everyone is out, Brock wonders what Jessilina is doing and it is shown thatJessie are in a warehouse withJames andMeowth. Before them are piles of boxes containing Jessilina's memorabilia. While James and Meowth are sure that the memorabilia will earn them lots of money, Jessie daydreams about the rich lifestyle she will earn when she becomes Top Coordinator.
The next day, the semifinals officially begin and it's Zoey versus Nando first. Zoey sends out herMismagius andLeafeon while Nando calls out hisKricketune and newLopunny. Mismagius and Leafeon come out in a shower ofStar Seals while Kricketune and Lopunny are released in a shower of Song Seals. Unfazed, Zoey tells Leafeon to useEnergy Ball and Mismagius to useShock Wave. The Shock Wave fuses with the Energy Ball to create an electrifying meteorite, and thecombination costs Nando some early points. Nando has Lopunny useJump Kick to knock Zoey's combination away while Kricketune usesBug Buzz to immobilize Leafeon. Lopunny meanwhile dances around and wraps the streamers created by Bug Buzz around itself to create an elegant effect and also take away a portion of Zoey's points. Suddenly, the Energy fusion Ball that Lopunny had kicked away returns, shooting straight down. Kricketune then blasts away the fusion ball to create a shower of rainbow sparks, which is used to further emphasize Lopunny's elegance, costing Zoey even more points. Recovering, Zoey orders Leafeon and Mismagius to useDouble Team, surrounding Nando's pair in alternating duplicates. The two Pokémon alternate between each other with their Double Teams as they surround Nando's Pokémon. Nando is amazed by the stunning contrast of the double Double Team. He orders Lopunny to useBlizzard, but he ends up losing points as the light from the disappearing doubles only makes Leafeon and Mismagius shine all the more.
Nando tells Kricketune to useSing. The music notes spiral around Kricketune and Lopunny in a swirling manner, which causes Zoey to drop to 1/2 of her total points. However, Zoey had been expecting Sing and told Mismagius to useLucky Chant. Brock explains that Lucky Chant is a move that preventscritical hits but is confused as to how it will counter Sing. The gems on Mismagius's body glow as Mismagius soars into the air. Purple tendrils then appear out of the gems and knock away the music notes created by Sing and Nando's points drop to 1/2 as a result. Leafeon follows on with aLeaf Blade, slashing through Lopunny's counterFocus Blast, and landing a hit on its opponent. Kricketune tries anX-Scissor against Leafeon, but Mismagius intercepts it with aPsywave. Startled, Nando has Lopunny leap in and carry Kricketune out of danger, causing Psywave to miss. Zoey tells Leafeon to use Leaf Blade again to take up the X-Scissor. Kricketune and Leafeon then collide several times with neither of them giving an inch. Both sides lose an eighth of their original point total.
Dawn remarks in awe of Zoey and Nando's battles, stating that the clash between the two Coordinators and their Pokémon is one of the purest and most amazing forms of Contest battling she has ever witnessed. Brock smiles at her comments.
Down to the thirty-second mark, both Zoey and Nando are still even, each with about 30% of their original score remaining. Nando orders Kricketune to useSilver Wind while Lopunny uses Blizzard by spinning around Kricketune. The Blizzard and the Silver Wind combine to form snowflakes that float gently down to the ground while Lopunny continues to show off its elegant dance moves. Zoey has Leafeon useAerial Ace while Mismagius unleashes a Psywave. The resulting combination gives Leafeon beautiful bluish-white wings, and the leaf on Leafeon's head glows white in preparation for a blade attack. Fantina is left vocally awestruck by the combination, while Nando is equally amazed. Nando prepares his counter by having Lopunny intercept Leafeon. However, Mismagius intercepts with a Shock Wave. Lopunny's kick collides with Mismagius's shield of thunder and an explosion occurs that knocks both Pokémon back. Kricketune then uses X-Scissor to counter Leafeon's fusion. The two collide and orange sparks fly off. The orange sparks cause Leafeon's psychic wings to disappear while neither Kricketune nor Leafeon budge. The power level reaches an apex and an explosion occurs that leaves the stadium dark as bright sparkles fall to the ground. The lights are returned as Zoey and Nando grin at each other. Time is up, and though the difference in points is slim, Zoey wins the round and will be advancing to the finals. Nando congratulates Zoey on her win and wishes her good luck in the finals. Absolutely stunned by the beautiful performance, Fantina appears out of the blue and raises both Nando and Zoey's arms up in victory.
Next up is Dawn against Jessilina. Dawn runs down the halls to enter the stadium but stops when she sees Zoey returning. Both grin at each other and Dawn tells Zoey to wait for her at the finals. While Jessilina blows heart-filled kisses to the crowd, Dawn takes a deep breath and tells herself that she just needs to believe in her Pokémon.Johanna anxiously watches from thetelevision as battle starts and Dawn sends out herBuneary and herCyndaquil in a shower of Star Seals. Jessilina meanwhile selectsSeviper and Carnivine. They enter using their unique "Rocket Start" before Buneary counters withDizzy Punch and Cyndaquil with aSmokescreen. Next, Buneary spins around as she usesIce Beam tofreeze Seviper solid and Cyndaquil knocks Carnivine over with aFlame Wheel. Cyndaquil then usesSwift while Buneary usesBounce to spin around the golden stars. Carnivine retaliates withVine Whip while Seviper prepares to lash Buneary withPoison Tail. However, Buneary jumps out of the way and, as a result, Seviper gets hit with the Swift attack. Carnivine then tries to get Buneary once more with Vine Whip but Buneary again bounces out of the way and sends Carnivine crashing into Seviper. Seviper quickly recovers and traps Cyndaquil in itsWrap attack while Cyndaquil's Swift collides with Carnivine. Dawn then uses another combination of Ice Beam and Swift while Jessilina counters with Seviper'sHaze and Carnivine'sBullet Seed barrage. The battle soon ends as the time is called. Dawn is shown to lead by a huge amount of points, thus earning herself a place in the finals. Meanwhile, Jessilina realizes that her dreams of stardom and fame have been destroyed and approaches Dawn angrily. Everyone else is confused while James and Meowth are well-aware of Jessie's temper tantrums. However, Jessilina wasn't looking to pick a fight with Dawn. Instead, she pinches both of Dawn's cheeks and tells her to win the Grand Festival or else. She then walks off while Dawn thanks her.
The following day arrives, and Marian welcomes everyone to the much-anticipated finals match. Lit by bright spotlights, Marian first introduces Zoey, hailing fromSnowpoint City, and then Dawn, fromTwinleaf Town. The long-time rivals and friends stare at each other intently as the five-minute countdown begins, marking the start of their most important battle ever.
This episode marks the first time in theanimated series that a main character has made it to the finals of a major tournament. Before this, the furthestAsh had ever advanced in a tournament was when he made it to the Top 8 of theSilver Conference and theEver Grande Conference, while the furthestMay had ever advanced to was when she made it to the Top 4 of theKanto Grand Festival.
The episode's Englishdub title comes from the idiom "to come full circle".
WhenNando is about to send outLopunny andKricketune, they have differentSeals on theirPoké Balls. However, when they come out, they have the same entrance.
This is also the final episode where James's Mime Jr. is voiced byKayzie Rogers.
Errors
The same Trainer appearing in the A block and losing to Jessilina
TheTrainer that Jessilina defeats at the start of the episode had been previously revealed to be in the A block with Dawn inOpposites Interact!, which Jessie was not in, and the bracket indicated that Dawn would've faced this trainer in the second knockout round. No other similar Trainers appeared in the group of 32 Trainers revealed to have qualified for the second round inLast Call — First Round!.
When Jessilina is shown cheering because she won her battle, there are five judge stands behind her when there should be four.
When Nando is outside singing to all the Pokémon, twoCherrim appear in their Sunshine Form despite the fact it is dark outside.
During the montage of battles leading up to the semifinals, Zoey'sGastrodon's head is colored fully pink.
Despite having being shown next toMarian mere seconds before, theRibbon Cup is missing from the final shot of the episode.
When Leafeon is usingLeaf Blade and Kricketune uses X-Scissor, the leaf on Leafeon's head disappears.
In thePolish dub, Aerial Ace is mistakenly called "Aerial Hit".
The five judges error
Gastrodon's miscolored head
Cherrim in their wrong form
Leafeon's missing leaf
Dub edits
In the English dub,Meowth saysTeam Rocket sold all of the Jessie cards. In the original Japanese version, they say they sold Jessie Badges.
In the original Japanese version, while speculating on what Pokémon Nando will use, Dawn andBrock think he will use Pokémon that can useSing or other music-related techniques. In the English dub, they only think he will use Pokémon that know Sing.
The five judges error
Gastrodon's miscolored head
Cherrim in their wrong form
Leafeon's missing leaf
